Countdown fails to spark lights on Holiday Tree…again

Monday

Nov 26, 2012 at 11:58 AM

City is reviewing countdown after tree lighting is delayed for two straight years

By Julian MarchJulian.March@StarNewsOnline.com

For the second time in two years, Wilmington's Holiday Tree did not light up Friday when Mayor Pro Tem Earl Sheridan mashed a red button before a large crowd at Riverfront Park.Though the tree was lit after about 20 or 30 seconds, the underwhelming countdown has city officials reviewing the tree lighting. In a Saturday email to top city leaders, Amy Beatty, the city's recreation superintendent, explained that the holiday tree did not light on time despite being tested every day the previous week. Ultimately, parks staff determined a ground fault circuit tripped and caused the delay.Though Beatty commended parks staff on duty for quickly correcting the issue, she guessed there was a 30-second delay, which she said felt like five minutes.After the lights failed to come on at the end of his first countdown, Sheridan tried again. "It didn't come on the second time either," Sheridan said Monday. "I thought, ‘I can't believe this,'" he said laughing. Last year, when Sheridan counted down from 10 and pushed the button, the tree sat dark. "Uh-oh," he said into the microphone. Santa Claus pulled up on his carriage to an unlit tree. But, like this year, the tree eventually sparked and the crowd cheered as the night officially went underway."It is kind of embarrassing," Sheridan said.Beatty said Friday's crowd seemed amused by the delay."Lots of jokes about the city not paying its light bill," she said. "Hopefully the public has a sense of humor about it."In light of the recurrent tardy lights, Beatty initially recommended the city temporarily cancel the countdown until Riverfront Park renovations are complete. But because the ceremony has become so popular, officials ultimately decided to try to solve the problem and continue the countdown."It's part of the excitement of the evening," Beatty said in a Monday interview. Deputy City Manager Tony Caudle suggested using a generator to light the tree. "I just would hate to lose the momentum that we've established," Caudle wrote in an email to Beatty and others. A city electrician is working to find a solution to the lighting delay. The ceremony, which is in its third year, is a partnership between the city and the Downtown Business Alliance.